What causes fears in public speaking?
56% of adults in America report being afraid or slightly bothered with the idea of public speaking (Scaredy Cats, 1997). If this study were done on adolescents, the numbers would be much higher. There are many reasons people fear public speaking. In a recent study, people were asked to name reasons why they fear speaking in public. The number one reason was making embarrassing mistakes, at 81% (Tilton, 2002). Other responses included, forgetting material, looking nervous, and being unable to answer questions. Interestingly enough, the one thing that is probably the cause of all of these factors was listed towards the bottom of the list: being unprepared (Tilton, 2002). An article in Modern Healthcare agrees with this point: one of the biggest obstacles to success as a speaker isnt jitters but a lack of preparation (Lauer, 2003). If students feel prepared and know their topics, they will feel less apprehension. Although, sometimes, regardless how diligently one prepares, the body exhibi
